A static charge may build up in various types of electrical components over time and for various reasons. Any charge that is stored on an electrical component, regardless of its source, may be released if an appropriate path is provided. Human contact may provide such a path, as well as when electrically interconnecting such a “charged” electrical component with another electrically conductive component.
Certain electrical components may be damaged by an abrupt discharge therefrom or from a component electrically interconnected therewith, for instance due to the electrical component being contacted by a metallic object. Giant magnetoresistive (GMR) heads for disk drives, tunneling MR and TMR heads for disk drives, and various types of integrated circuits are but a few examples of electrical components that may be adversely affected by an abrupt discharge. An abrupt discharge of a charged electrical component may render the same immediately nonfunctional, or may partially damage such a charged electrical component such that its performance degrades (immediately or over time), such that it prematurely fails, or both. These types of failures may have an adverse impact on both product yield and product reliability, both of which can have an adverse business effect.